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How To Make Pumpkin Powder & Cease Losing Freezer House

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Rising pumpkins in your backyard could be extremely rewarding, particularly when you benefit from the style of selfmade puree for pies, soups and even pasta sauce. However when you get a bumper crop or have restricted area, it doesn’t take lengthy earlier than you sacrifice plenty of freezer area for orange blocks of frozen pumpkin.

Fortunately, with a meals dehydrator, you may make pumpkin powder. Not solely can you utilize it similar to contemporary puree, nevertheless it takes up much less area and is a breeze to work with.

Pumpkin powder, often known as pumpkin flour, is a wonderful solution to protect your annual bounty of everybody’s favourite fall gourd.​

Bag of frozen pumpkin puree next to pumpkin powder in a jar.
Bag of frozen pumpkin puree next to pumpkin powder in a jar.

One in all these luggage (roughly 4 cups of puree) makes this tiny jar of pumpkin powder.

In case you’ve frozen selfmade pumpkin puree, you know the way shortly it could take over your freezer. Pumpkins are about 90% water, so when you consider it, storing it as frozen puree doesn’t make plenty of sense. You’re making massive pumpkin ice cubes and taking on all that valuable freezer actual property with extra water.

By dehydrating the pumpkin, you’re eradicating the water and forsaking the flesh. In impact, you scale back its quantity by about 90% while you dehydrate the puree and powder it. The misplaced water is well added in once more when you have to make puree. Ultimately, the completed pumpkin powder takes up about 1/10 of the room that the puree would.

That’s some critical area gained by switching preservation strategies.​


And there’s no probability of spoilage resulting from energy loss. Nor does the powder want a continuing provide of electrical energy to protect it like freezing. This tasty powder could be saved in an hermetic jar in your pantry for as much as a yr.

Everytime you want it, you’re solely fifteen minutes away from reconstituted pumpkin puree.

To start with, you’ll need to roast your pumpkin and make puree. (In case you’ve already performed that, you may skip forward.)

Find out how to Roast a Pumpkin & Make Puree​


Preheat your oven to 350 levels F.

Wash any grime off your pumpkin and snap off the stem. (I normally give the stem a strong whack in opposition to the sting of the counter, and it pops proper off.)

Lower the pumpkin into quarters or smaller wedges if it’s a big squash.

Sliced pumpkin wedges, ready to be baked.
Sliced pumpkin wedges, ready to be baked.


Place the pumpkin wedges onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes. It’s best to have the ability to pierce the pores and skin simply with a fork. Let the pumpkin cool earlier than scooping it out of the pores and skin with an ice cream scoop.

Baked pumpkin wedges to blend into puree.
Baked pumpkin wedges to blend into puree.


Course of the baked pumpkin in small batches in a blender or meals processor till it’s easy.

Overhead view of pumpkin puree in blender jar.
Overhead view of pumpkin puree in blender jar.

Now on to turning that golden puree into powdered pumpkin.​


You’ll be able to both unfold a skinny layer of pumpkin puree on a sheet of parchment paper earlier than putting it on the cabinets of your dehydrator, or in case your explicit machine comes with fruit leather-based trays, you may unfold the pumpkin puree immediately on these.

Pumpkin puree spread thinly over a parchment paper sheet.
Pumpkin puree spread thinly over a parchment paper sheet.


Dehydrate the puree for 8-10 hours at 125 levels F. When it’s completed, let it cool utterly. It’s best to have almost paper-thin pumpkin bark that crumbles simply.

Pumpkin bark
Pumpkin bark


In case you use the fruit leather-based sheets offered together with your dehydrator, you might discover the completed pumpkin is barely flexible. It would flip right into a gummy, sticky mess when you attempt to make powder with it. To dry out the pumpkin leather-based utterly, break it into smaller items and place it on a metallic baking sheet in a 200-degree F oven for quarter-hour, then flip the oven off and permit the items to chill utterly within the oven.

Your pumpkin might be crumbly and dry at this level.​

Bowl of crumbled pumpkin bark.
Bowl of crumbled pumpkin bark.


To powder the pumpkin, use a blender, meals processor or coffee grinder (additionally marketed as a spice mill). Any of those will work properly, however I discover that having a devoted espresso grinder does the perfect job. I’ve one which’s by no means seen a single espresso bean however is used each time I must make powdered something.

It could be best to begin with a blender after which switch the ensuing pumpkin flakes to the espresso grinder to get a effective powder.

Overhead view of pumpkin powder in blender
Overhead view of pumpkin powder in blender

Whereas processing your pumpkin, it’s a good time so as to add spices to create customized powdered pumpkin blends.​


Pumpkin spice? Add in pie spices. Curried pumpkin? Add in curry powder. Sizzling and Spicy pumpkin? Mix it with powdered ginger and cayenne pepper.

Spiced pumpkin powder blends make glorious soups and are great stirred into espresso, pudding or pie. Attempt some in your morning smoothie or yogurt for an additional taste enhance and nutritious pumpkin.

To rehydrate your pumpkin, use a ratio of 4 components of boiling water to 1 half pumpkin puree (4:1). A superb place to begin is one cup of boiling water with a ¼ cup of pumpkin powder. Stir the 2 collectively properly and canopy the bowl. Let it sit for fifteen minutes to take in all of the water.

Overhead view of pumpkin powder in bowl.
Overhead view of pumpkin powder in bowl.

Earlier than
Overhead view of pumpkin puree made from reconstituted pumpkin powder
Overhead view of pumpkin puree made from reconstituted pumpkin powder

One cup of boiling water and fifteen minutes later. Wonderful!

I’ve to say; I used to be a bit skeptical of preserving and storing my pumpkin this fashion till the primary time I rehydrated it. Certain, it saved area, however would it not be as good as my frozen puree?​


Evidently, I used to be blown away by the outcomes. Sure, you must let the powder take in the water for fifteen minutes, however virtually as quickly as I started stirring the water and powder collectively – poof! There was my good pumpkin puree.

Pumpkin powder is straightforward and scrumptious and frees up valuable freezer area for issues like meat or, extra importantly, ice cream. Oooh, I’m going to make use of some pumpkin powder to make ice cream!

Side by side comparison of pumpkin powder and puree.
Side by side comparison of pumpkin powder and puree.

Listed here are just a few different methods to make use of pumpkin powder:​

  • Stir a small quantity into your espresso
  • Add some to your morning smoothie
  • Reconstitute two teaspoons and make a brightening facial masks
  • Add pumpkin powder to muffin, cookie and cake recipes for larger pumpkin taste
  • Create fast and simple soups in minutes
  • Reconstitute pumpkin powder with milk or cream for a straightforward and scrumptious pasta sauce
  • Use pumpkin powder to make pumpkin pancakes and waffles
  • Whip up a batch of simple slow-cooker pumpkin butter
  • For much more concepts and engaging pumpkin dishes, click on right here.

Pumpkin powder has limitless makes use of, and also you don’t have to stay with pumpkin. Your entire winter squash purees could be dehydrated into powder for a complete pantry stuffed with your favourite winter squash in powder type.

Whilst you’ve acquired your dehydrator out, why not make powdered ginger and onion powder? And ensure you don’t have a dehydrator that might soften – like my previous one.


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Together with Sunday ramblings from our editor, Tracey, in addition to “What’s Up Wednesday” our roundup of what’s in season and new article updates and alerts.



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Tracey Besemer​

Hey there, my identify is Tracey. I’m the editor-in-chief right here at Rural Sprout.

A lot of our readers already know me from our standard Sunday newsletters. (You might be signed up for our newsletters, proper?) Every Sunday, I ship a pleasant missive from my neck of the woods in Pennsylvania. It’s a bit like sitting on the entrance porch with a buddy, discussing our gardens over a cup of tea.

Initially from upstate NY, I’m now an honorary Pennsylvanian, having lived right here for the previous 18 years.

I grew up spending weekends on my dad’s off-the-grid homestead, the place I spent a lot of my childhood roaming the woods and getting my fingers soiled.

I discovered learn how to do issues most little children haven’t performed in over a century.

Whether or not it was urgent apples within the fall for selfmade cider, trudging by way of the early spring snows of upstate NY to faucet timber for maple syrup, or canning every part that grew within the backyard in the summertime – there have been at all times new adventures with every season.

As an grownup, I proceed to attract on the talents I discovered as a child. I really like my Wi-Fi and realizing pizza is simply a telephone name away. And I’m okay with by no means revisiting the journey that’s utilizing an outhouse in the midst of January.

Today, I are usually virtually a homesteader.

I take an eclectic method to homesteading, using trendy comfort the place I would like and selecting the country methods of my childhood as they go well with me.

I’m a agency believer in self-sufficiency, irrespective of the place you reside, and the ability and delight that comes from doing one thing for your self.

I’ve at all times had a backyard, even when the one area out there was the roof of my condo constructing. I’ve been knitting since age seven, and I spin and dye my very own wool as properly. In case you can ferment it, it’s in all probability in my pantry or on my kitchen counter. And I can’t go quite a lot of days with out a journey into the woods searching for mushrooms, edible vegetation, or the sound of the wind within the timber.

You’ll be able to comply with my private (loopy) homesteading adventures on Almost a Homesteader and Instagram as @aahomesteader.

Peace, love, and grime beneath your nails,

Tracey
 
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